Learning Skateboarding

By: Jason Petrina




Are you considering taking up skateboarding or do you know someone who wants to? The best thing about skateboarding is that it is a simple sport, but it’s really fun. A little few scratches here and there, but what’s the deal? Skateboarding is another great sport to pick up on and compared to other sports, it’s different! Skateboarding has been getting noticed and becoming more and more mainstream. You can often find skating gear at many local stores for a cheap price, but cheap is not necessary the best skate gear. With a few tips, you will for sure find the right skateboard for you!

Are you just a beginner to skateboarding? If you are, you will need a skateboard to start off skateboarding of course! There are many large retailing stores, such as Wal-Mart that now sell skateboards at a lower price. But just because it is cheap, doesn’t mean it is great for skateboarding. For a beginner skater, go to your local skate shop to look for a beginner’s skate deck. If you’re on a tight budget, I suggest telling the store clerk that you are beginner. The store clerk will mostly likely point you to the blank skate decks. You might like what you see at first, but once you really start getting into skateboarding, the deck design isn’t really important.

If you’re tight on money, I suggest you opt for a blank skateboard. A great way to decorate your skateboard is by buying stickers, they are great for adding a design to your skateboard. You can always draw a funky design that suits your personality. And if you can’t draw, ask someone nicely to do it for you! When you first start out with your first skateboard, I suggest you buy a 7.5 inch deck. Why? This is the most standard deck, many skaters start off with this width and end up loving it. Look at the concavity of the board, also known as the dip. The dip allows you to several awesome tricks. When you are in the store, don’t forget to stand on the board. The board should let your both of your feet hang out on each side, if you are unsure, ask the store clerk.

The most inexpensive skate decks are usually the black colored ones. You need a truck, this is the support that holds the wheels and the board together, don’t opt for a one with a picture if you are on a tight budget. You will need wheels to start off skating, the best choice for wheels are bullets. The bullets won’t wear and tear and will last a long time. Most wheels are blank, but there are wheels that have small pictures on them. Ask the local skate shop clerk for bearings, the bearings range are as listed ABEC 3, 5, or 7. For beginners, ABEC 3 is the one that’s most suitable for you. You don’t have to worry about grip tape, hardware, risers at this stage right now. To spruce up you blank deck, you can always add stickers and draw designs for an inexpensive added effect.

Along with skateboarding, your shoes are very important as well. You want to make sure your feet are padded well and won’t get hurt easily. With the many tricks you will attempt, protecting your ankle and the sole of your feet is very important. So where can I buy skateboard shoes? Skateboarding has become a very popular sport and style among teenagers. Many of the sport stores these days carry skateboard shoes at a very inexpensive price. These skateboard shoes are really no different because they usually carry the same brands as skate shops and they last just as long. For better quality, look for established skateboard brands, such as Osiris or DC. If you plan on skateboarding everyday (at least one hour) buying a pair inexpensive skate shoes will do the trick.

Skateboarding is an excellent sport to pick up at a young age. If you really end up liking skateboarding, there are many headlining competitions going around each state, many skate shops will most likely advertise these events. Skateboarding is another awesome way of keeping in shape during warm season. The great thing about skateboarding is the culture as well. With getting into skateboarding you are exposed to a whole new culture you never knew existed!



Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com